An Exploration of the EU's Counterterrorism Measures: Can the EU Learn From Its Member States? A Case Study Examining Italy

As the European Union (EU) aims to deepen their integration in the realm of foreign, security, and defence policies, the Union and its institutions have developed counterterrorism measures that fall under a framework of four distinct pillars: PREVENT, PROTECT, PURSUE, and RESPOND. However, the threat continues to persist and the Union and its member states continue to develop reactionary measures that utilize mass amounts of resources, rather than focusing on preventative and deterrent measures. This thesis sets out to determine why the EU's counterterrorism measures are ineffective by conducting a qualitative policy analysis of the EU's binding counterterrorism measures. The following research aims to identify where Italian measures differ from the EU's measures, and whether the EU can learn from Italy's historical experiences with counterterrorism and countering organized crime.